The biggest cricket carnival is upon us. The 18th season of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) will get underway at Kolkata’s Eden Garden Stadium on March 22 where defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
There will be 74 matches played across 13 Indian cities over the course of the Indian summer as the lucrative league awaits its next champion! This season of the league will be fascinating to follow as the 10 teams come have had their squads shuffled following the mega auction in Jeedah last year.
Beyond the shuffled squads there will be other things that will make this year’s IPL a riveting watch. Here are reasons why the 18th edition of the IPL will keep you hooked!
1. The new skippers:
After getting their squads shuffled, five teams have announced new captains for the upcoming season. Axar Patel is the new captain of Delhi Capitals. Ajinkya Rahane has take over the reigns from Shreyas Iyer at Kolkata Knight Riders. Shreyas Iyer has moved to Punjab Kings and is set to lead them this season. Lucknow Super Giants bought Rishabh Pant for a whooping ₹27 crore, made him the most expensive player in the league’s history and also their skipper. Royal Challengers Bengaluru has ushered into a new era by announcing Rajat Patidar as their new captain.
2. Pat Cummins — The only overseas captain this season:
Pat Cummins is the only overseas captain in the IPL this season. Last year he guided Sunrisers Hyderabad all the way to the final. Unfortunately, the Orange Army lost the final to Kolkata Knight Riders. In the last few years, Cummins has emerged as one of the top captains in cricket. The fast bowler has won the ICC World Test Championship, lifted the ODI World Cup, retained the Ashes and also clinched the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The Aussie captain will now be eyeing to add the IPL trophy to the list of silverware that he has won.
3. Coaches and Support Staff:
Just like players, the coaches and the support staff have also shifted their bases. Ricky Ponting left Delhi Capitals and became the new head coach of Punjab Kings. Ponting was replaced by Hemang Badani at Delhi Capitals. Rahul Dravid has returned to the IPL and he has assumed the coaching duties at Rajasthan Royals. Dwayne Bravo will has reunited with Sunil Narine and Andre Russell as is the new mentor for Kolkaka Knight Riders. Kevin Pietersen has forayed into coaching by becoming Delhi Capitals’ mentor.
4. Will the trophy drought for DC, PBKS, LSG and RCB finally end?
Among the five teams who have new players at the helm of affairs, four have never tasted IPL success before. And among the five new skippers, only Shreyas Iyer has had the honour of holding aloft the coveted IPL trophy. Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are eager to be crowned as the champions of the IPL. With new squads and new captains, these teams will be looking to end their trophy drought!
5. Will Vaibhav Suryavanshi become IPL’s youngest-ever player?
At the mega auction, Rajasthan Royals scripted history as they splashed ₹1.1 crore to buy Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi who became the league’s youngest millionaire at just 13. In a few days time Suryavanshi will turn 14. Now the question is will Suryavanshi become the youngest-ever player to feature in an IPL game?
6. Will Dhoni finally retire?
From the youngest to the oldest! For a few seasons now, there has been an anticipation that MS Dhoni will finally retire. The crowds flock the stadium in a believe that it might be their last chance to see Dhoni in action for one last time. But the 43-year-old has prolonged his stay pushing his aging body hard! But we never know. This season could actually be the year when the veteran finally hangs his gloves.
7. Will Kolkata Knight Riders manage to defend their title?
Only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have managed to defend their title. The IPL title hasn’t been successfully defended since 2020. KKR have a tough task ahead of them. Will they become only the third team in the history of the league to successfully retain the title.
8. When will Jasprit Bumrah return?
Jasprit Bumrah is a certified superstar in world cricket. But there is uncertainty around Bumrah’s participation in the IPL this year. The Mumbai Indian pacer has already been ruled out of the first few matches of season due to a back injury. There isn’t a fixed timeline on Bumrah’s return. But hard core Bumrah and Mumbai Indian fans will remain hooked wanting to see the speedster back in action!
9. Rule Changes:
The BCCI has revoked the ban on the use of saliva on the ball. This has been done to support the fast bowlers as it will assist in reverse-swing. This in turn will keep the sixes and fours in check!
10. Possibility of a team scoring 300!
Eight of the 10 highest team scores in the history of the league were recorded last year. Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the the highest team total twice and came agonizingly close to scoring a 300. Can the three hundred run mark be breached this time around?
11. Rookies:
The likes of Robin Minz, Suryansh Shedge, Ryan Rickelton, Priyansh Arya, Corbin Bosch, Eshan Malinga and Vipraj Nigam are will be making their debut this year. They will make IPL thrilling!
12. Reunions:
The mega auction led to some iconic player-team reunion. So Ravichandran Ashwin will be playing for the Chennai Super Kings for the first time since 2015. Trent Boult is back with Mumbai Indians. Jofra Archer is returning to the IPL and will be playing for Rajasthan Royals, the team that gave him his IPL debut. Glenn Maxwell is once again a Punjab Kings’ player after five years.
Prakhar Sachdeo
The Sportz Planet Desk
